Being born and raised in Queens, I’ve always wanted to paint something that was quintessential to my upbringing. New Yorkers are always going to be harsh on you and don’t always accept stuff right away but that makes you work harder and push harder to innovate yourself. Most of my paintings are self portraits built up through signage and urban imagery — the city creates the being. Dotted lines show the pathways and inner working of a complex city and how it created me.